"Working the Land" (Viticulture)

Viticulture: Marsanne At-A-Glance
Vigor (low/high)
Vigorous, fertile, and productive. It must be pruned short and planted, ideally, in not-very-fertile and/or stony soils
Adaptability
Marsanne grows well in vineyards with clay, granite, chalk, and limestone soils – terroirs typical of those found in the Northern Rhône Valley and California’s Paso Robles. Further, it is so sensitive to sunlight that it ripens unevenly. Very old vines are not unusual.
Yield (potential)
Moderate- to high-yielding, depending on the fertility of the soils and whether for dry wines (higher) or sweet/Botrytis-affected wines (lower). Yields diminish as the vines age.
Growth cycle
Generally mid-to late-ripening (style-dependent). Picking time is crucial because as the grapes achieve ripeness, the fruit can quickly lose acidity.
Diseases
Marsanne is sensitive to powdery mildew, Botrytis (gray rot), and mites

Growing and Making Marsanne (in California)

Marsanne receives less attention than it deserves. And there's a reason: it typically ends up assembled into blends, usually with zippier, herbal Roussanne and oilier Viognier, its traditional sidekicks. Most such cuvées are produced in France, where geographical designations, not grape varieties, tend to take precedence on labels. If you've ever had the pleasure of uncorking a fine and rare white Hermitage, Saint-Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage from the northern Rhône Valley, you've probably caught a whiff of Marsanne. In California, though labeled differently, it’s much of the same narrative, with Marsanne generally playing a strong secondary role to its more celebrated cousins.

Working the Land:

Does soil influence the flavor of the final wine?

Traditionalists answer unequivocally, “Yes!” Soil is a key element of terroir, the natural environment in which vines grow, combined with climate (temperature, rainfall), topography (altitude, drainage, slope, aspect) and sunlight.

A more unorthodox view holds that the influence of soil on what you taste in the glass is a myth. Maynard Amerine and Ann Noble, two famous names at UC Davis, California’s premier wine school and research facility, conducted a study on the topic. Though the study is based on Chardonnay grapes, they concluded that the following holds true for all wine grapes: “no outstanding sensory differences were observed in wines produced from different soil type locations.” The key word is “sensory” (sight, smell, taste). They are not claiming that soil doesn’t affect vine behavior (yield, growth cycle, etc.). 

Marsanne is a comparatively high-yielding vine, which has caused many growers to devote more acreage to it than to its companion Roussanne, which yields less generously and more erratically. The variety is prized for its rich body and heady perfume but can suffer from a lack of acidity if grown carelessly/excessively or in overly warm areas. It is a reliable grape to cultivate, although sensitive to temperature, needing the correct range – not too hot, not too cool – for the grapes to achieve their greatest potential. 

In California, there is not much to speak of in the way of FPS/UC Davis plant material- just four selections. Three of them are ‘home-based’. Clones 01, 03, and 04 and one, 574, from ENTAV-INRA® in France – the only Marsanne clone propagated at that globally celebrated Southern French universal nursery! It should be noted that a primary contemporary resource for most all Rhône grapes these days is Tablas Creek winery and the proprietary nursery program through which they have generously made plant materials available to others. 

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Sustainability and California

As an agricultural industry, the California wine community has a long history of adapting to change and demonstrating its commitment to sound environmental practices and social responsibility. Building on these efforts are the educational and certification programs of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA). Established by Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers, CSWA is the most comprehensive and widely adopted wine sustainability program in the world, and– together with other important sustainability programs in regions throughout the state– has made California wine a leader in addressing climate change.